The Supreme Court has upheld its previous verdicts on condemned war criminals Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, rejecting their pleas for reviewing death penalty for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha passed the orders on Wednesday morning.
The BNP leader Salauddin was awarded death penalty by the International Crimes Tribunal on October 1, 2013 for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Independence War.
The Appellate Division upheld maximum punishment for the former MP from Chittagong’s Raozan on July 29, 2015.
He was arrested on December 16, 2010, and shown arrested in war crimes case on December 19 the same year. The tribunal indicted him on April 4, 2012.
On July 17, 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal 2 ordered to hang Mujahid by the neck for the massacre of intellectuals including scientists, academics and journalists, and his involvement in the murder and torture of Hindus during the war.
He was found guilty in five out of the seven charges and sentenced to death in two of them.
The Jamaat leader was arrested on June 29, 2010 on charges of hurting religious sentiment and defying court orders. He was later shown arrested in the war crimes case on August 8. The tribunal indicted him on June 21, 2012.
Mujahid appealed against the tribunal verdict on August 11, 2013 and the hearing began on April 29 this year. The hearing continued for nine working days and ended on May 27.
On June 16, 2015, the Appellate Division delivered its judgement, upholding death for the Jamaat secretary general.
